1. Field
The present invention relates to a voice conference apparatus and a method and program product for confirming voice in a voice conference system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a voice conference apparatus or TV conference apparatus for an electronic conference system using terminals connected via a network, communication line, or the like, a method for confirming whether or not an other party can hear a voice of an own party is as follows.
JP-A-2004-186870 discloses a method for measuring a voice pressure of a voice outputted from a speaker of the other party's terminal and using the measured value as voice level information to visually display the voice level information on the own party's terminal connected via a network.
JP-A-2004-48329 discloses a sound confirmation method in a network conference system. The sound confirmation method includes reproducing received voice data, detecting a voice volume of the reproduced voice and informing the other party's terminal of the voice volume as response data.
JP-A-2005-269498 discloses a video conference system, wherein a voice output level (unit is decibel (dB)) of a voice outputted from another party's terminal is collected and the voice output level is displayed as voice quality information (representing a voice volume) on an image of an own terminal display screen.
However, in a voice confirmation method for confirming whether or not an other party can hear an own voice in the known electronic conference system, merely the voice pressure level of the voice reproduced in the other party is confirmed and it is not possible to confirm how much good quality a voice is reproduced in the other party's terminal.
For example, even when there is no problem in the voice pressure level, a desired voice quality cannot be guaranteed at the other party's terminal due to quality degradation in a communication path, a CODEC quality, or the like. That is, there is a case where an inputted voice is transmitted from an own terminal and reproduced at the other party's terminal together with different acoustics, noises, or the like, and the voice is not reproduced as much as the desired clear quality. In this case, when outputted voice pressure level is good, an abnormal in the voice quality may be not detected. In addition, even when a defect in the voice quality is detected, it is difficult to detect where the cause of the defect is according to the known voice confirmation method.